EU leaders call for more work on long-missed R&D spending target

Commission president raises concern over higher investment by “main competitors”, as EU falls behind

EU leaders have recommitted to the bloc’s long-standing—and long-missed—target to raise its investment in research and innovation to 3 per cent of GDP.

The target dates back to the year 2000, when it was intended to be achieved by 2010. But the EU’s actual R&I investment has only crept up slowly over time, from just under 2 per cent in 2010 to a high point of 2.3 per cent in 2020. The figure dropped slightly in 2021, according to Eurostat.